After the kingdom fell, the rebel king He Qiong ascended the throne.
The former imperial clan were all confined behind the high walls of Anhe Residence, eking out a life amid humiliation and fear.
Every night, a covered sedan chair would quietly stop at a side gate of Anhe Residence. A beautiful young woman would hurry aboard, wrapped in a heavy cloak, and be carried into the imperial palace. She would not come out again until dawn.
Palace attendants who knew the old story whispered that the new emperor seemed to have everything going his way now, but he too had once been sent to another court as a hostage, where he had fallen in love with Princess Yuan Jue, a royal daughter.
When their affair was exposed, Princess Yuan Jue had no choice but to treat He Qiong as a pawn to be discarded in order to protect her reputation. She silently allowed a senior palace matron to bring him a bowl of poison.
Though He Qiong escaped death by sheer luck, the incident turned his love into hatred.
Now that the new emperor held all the power, he naturally intended to take everything back from Princess Yuan Jue.
Late at night, every candle in the side hall had gone out, and the room was silent.
The lives at stake included those of the deposed emperor, the deposed empress, the various princes of the imperial clan, and even her husband's family.
Yuan Jue clenched her sweaty palm, bowed before the figure in imperial robes and golden boots, and exposed the pale, delicate nape of her neck, leaving herself at his mercy.
The silver chain stretching to the bed swung wildly, then snapped without warning.
He Qiong lowered his eyes and coldly looked at the tear-streaked woman beneath him.
The same Princess Yuan Jue who had once sworn eternal love with him and made him hopelessly infatuated.
In the end, she had abandoned him and married another man.
At first, he only wanted revenge. But little by little, he became addicted and no longer wanted to let her go.
Just as he hesitated, the woman was no longer able to endure his favor. She pleaded earnestly, "When will Your Majesty finally tire of me and let me go home?"
Darkness deepened in He Qiong's eyes. His hand tightened around Yuan Jue's jaw, inch by inch. "You want me to watch you reunite with your husband and live happily ever after?"
He confined Yuan Jue, who longed only to return home, to the harem, hoping to keep her forever.
He wanted her to look only at him from now on, smile for him, bear his children, and love no one but him.
Note: This is an angsty, old-school melodrama with a very high level of coercive possessiveness.
There is a misunderstanding between the leads. The heroine does not harm the hero in the early part of the story.
Theme: Face setbacks with a positive attitude and win a bright future
